Australian Textile Art Award 2020

Back on 20 March 2020, the inaugural Australian Textile Art Award opened at the Embroiders Guild gallery in Melbourne sponsored by Art Wear Publications. The gallery closed that evening due to COVID-19 and has not reopened since. A catalogue arrived in the mail but my mind was on other things. In short, it seemed like the exhibition never happened.

Fast forward to September 2020 and there are signs that restrictions in Melbourne may ease soon and signs of spring in the air. This seems an felicitous time to share my ITAA artwork Landlines: Canola Country.

My artwork is inspired by driving vistas on a teaching trip to Narrandera in the Riverina region of New South Wales in 2012.

Statement: How uplifting to drive through canola country with vistas of yellow crowned by a wide, open sky at every crest and turn. My attempt to take photos while the car was in motion resulted in a vivid blur punctuated by fence posts and the occasional tree.

And when I say I took photos, I took hundreds of them!

Landlines: Canola Country

For years these images have been imprinted on my brain. In 2019, I finally converted these images into stitch and cloth. I look forward to a time when teaching road trips are possible again. In the meantime, I will be launching some online workshops soon. Watch this space!